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  • Matt Pinnell, state Republican Party chairman, gestures as he addresses the Garfield County Republican Women’s Club rally Tuesday at the Gantz Center on the Northern Oklahoma College Enid campus. (Staff Photo by BILLY HEFTON)

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August 9, 2011

Pinnell believes Republicans can defeat President Obama in next year’s election

By Robert Barron, Staff Writer Enid News and Eagle

ENID — The number $14.3 trillion will work well for Republicans in the 2012 election, said Matt Pinnell, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party.

He made the remarks about the federal budget deficit at a meeting Tuesday of Garfield County Republican Women in the Gantz Center at Northern Oklahoma College Enid.

Pinnell is the youngest state party chairman in the United States.

“It is the highest budget deficit in history,” he said.

That and other budget and unemployment numbers are the ones Republicans believe will defeat President Barack Obama next year. Republicans are keeping their campaign simple because they believe their message is clear.

“When people think, they decide. When they feel, they act,” he said.

Pinnell also said the cost of federal regulation in this country is $1.75 trillion a year. He said the U.S. credit rating was lowered because there is no plan to fix the deficit and the causes of it.

“The S&P lowered our rating because they did not see changes that will bring about long-term recovery,” he said.

The nation has a 9.2 percent unemployment rate. The average length of unemployment has gone from 19.9 weeks to 39.9 weeks, and people are giving up hope of finding a job. The United States has lost 2.5 million jobs since Obama became president, Pinnell said.

Obama’s poll numbers are falling and Republican candidates are starting to poll better. However, he said. Obama will have a $1 billion to campaign on and he will spend it all.

“The fight is far from over,” Pinnell said. “Oklahoma is the reddest state in the country, and it is my job to keep it that way.”

Oklahoma has a strong Republican percentage of voters because of former President George W. Bush, and the McCain-Palin ticket in 2008. The state will be relevant in the upcoming presidential election because a number of states around will be battleground states.

“Every vote will matter, and it helps the down-ticket candidates,” he said.

Pinnell said it is important for Republicans to be active this election and urged them to talk to their neighbors, including independents and Democrats.

“Find the independents and Democrats and talk to them. We know they are with us,” he said.

There is no state Democratic platform, which he said means they endorse the federal plan.

“Get out of your comfort zones,” he said.

The party is beginning a large registration drive on college campuses across the state to get students registered where they are enrolled in college. Many of the tight races around the state are in college towns, which have started to become more liberal, he said.

“This generation is the most mission-minded I’ve ever seen. We’re in a battle for freedom in this country and the youth vote is important,” he said. “In the next decade, Oklahoma will have a renaissance of people coming in the state. Young people will start staying here, and they will be Republicans.”

Pinnell told those attending the meeting Garfield County was one of the best counties in the state because the GOP here is well organized.

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